Golden
by golden.rebels
Summary: She had the type of gaze that could cut through glass. It was like looking into the eye of the storm; so turbulent, so wild. It made him nervous as hell. "You wanna dance?" He asked. It was then that bit by bit, the storm cleared to reveal the beautifully golden glow of the after-storm. No words were needed as she took his hand; in fact, he was sure they'd never be needed again.
1. Shakespeare

**Here Comes the Sun**

_"Beneath it all you're golden_

_That's all I'm feeding on_

_And though my head my hands are growing colder_

_We move in circles now"_

_-The Leavers Dance; The Veils_

* * *

Ponyboy's eyes were cast low as Mr. Eldridge, his English teacher, went off about Shakespeare's cultural impact on modern day literature. He wasn't trying to slack off, he'd even tried focusing on the old man's words, but he'd found it near impossible. Every September, in the first English class of the year, he'd get an earful about how Shakespeare had done loads of good stuff. Sure, he was timeless, but he wasn't Pony's preference.

His murky eyes instead focused on the book he'd had hidden on his lap; To Kill a Mockingbird. He'd read it before, sure, but he could still get lost in it each time. He could relate the characters in the book to many of his boy in the gang. It made the book more appealing that way. It also made him feel sick thinking of Dally and Johnny. Two years may have flown by on the calendar hanging on the wall by the fridge, but it sure felt slow. _I'm sixteen now,_ he'd find himself thinking, _Johnny's age._

"Mr. Curtis," his head snapped up anxiously only to find Mr. Eldridge's beady eyes staring back at him. He'd given Ponyboy a silent warning by raising one of his dark, furry eyebrows before turning back to his teachings. He decided he liked Mr. Eldridge right then. He didn't rag on him like other teachers did. He didn't embarrass him. Deciding it was probably best to slide the tattered paperback back into one of Soda's old folders, he sat up a little straighter and focused on the blackboard in front of him. Well, he tried to.

He dropped his gaze to his desk and couldn't help but let his mind fly. Darry and Two-Bit would always be on his case about having his head in the clouds, but he couldn't help it. He was in a class full of Socs and, though times were changing, not one of them chose to sit beside him. _Cherry might've_. He thought with little hope, but even he knew that wasn't true. Cherry may have been different, she showed him sides of her that he was sure not many of her friends had seen, but she still knew how it was. A frown graced Ponyboy's lips as he scribbled circles in the margin of his blank page. People might have been getting a bit more with the times, might have been loosening up, but for the most part it was still the same.

Socs were still Socs and Greasers were still Greasers. The divide between them just grew a little less hostile in the two years since…

His stomach churned at the thought. He felt stupid; puny. He may have grown up physically in the last two years but he still felt like the fourteen-year-old kid who had just lost his best friends. It ate away at him and it made the gang feel antsy as hell. They wanted their Ponyboy back, and though glimmers of him would shine through, he still wasn't the same kid he was. Pony wasn't sure he'd ever be, to be honest.

Pony's murky orbs floated around the room, but very subtly. The room really _was_ full of Socs. He'd recognized a few of the guys, but not many of the girls. One of them caught his stare, a pretty little thing with hair darker than night, but she'd broke it almost immediately. _Figures._ But he kept his wandering eyes moving. He'd recognized one of the guys from Track and one of the girls from the cheerleading team, but the rest of them weren't anyone _too_ familiar.

It wasn't until he felt someone eyeing him that Pony became hyper aware of his peers. He blinked and craned his neck to the right only to notice a pretty brunette Soc was staring at him. She looked…exactly like Two-Bit's type. That was the best way Pony could describe her. She wasn't too tall and she had short brown hair with pretty blue eyes with a cute little upturned button nose. His cheeks flushed and his ears burned instantly. _Do I got ink on my nose again?_

The pretty brunette elbowed the girl next to her and giggled quietly, completely unbeknownst to Mr. Elbridge. Her friend looked slightly annoyed as the brunette's elbow connected into that of her ribs but she looked up nonetheless. Ponyboy was sure his head would explode with the amount of blushing he'd been doing. Her friend was a pretty thing herself, but not as in-your-face as the brunette. She had long blonde hair with large almond-shaped grey eyes. She didn't look at Ponyboy, though. Instead, she looked down at the frayed folder on his desk, and eyed his copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. Her brows shot together in confusion as she finally looked up at Ponyboy. His face grew warmer; she sure was pretty.

The brunette grinned and whispered something into her friends ear just as Ponyboy faced the front, but he watched out of the corner of his eye. He knew a couple of the girls had thought he was an alright looking kid, but it didn't make him feel any less awkward about it. Soda was the looker of the bunch, Pony was the kid. He'd always been the kid.

"Is there a problem, Miss Anderson?" Mr. Eldridge asked with a great sigh.

The brunette's blue eyes instantly widened but the large smile on her lips didn't falter. "Not at all, sir." She followed her sentence with a quiet giggle and Ponyboy suddenly wasn't too keen on her. He'd been around Greaser girls all his life and a handful of them laughed like that to mainly draw attention to themselves. He never understood it. Girls were a foreign territory with Ponyboy. He was sure he'd never understand 'em.

The final bell rang and Ponyboy inwardly rejoiced. He may not have had a ride today, but if he had to hear one more thing about Shakespeare, he was going to go off. He stood up to his full height and gathered his books. That was one thing Pony could say had definitely changed in the last two years. His height had increased immensely; he was easily just as tall as Darry now and Soda'd always be on his case about it. "You might got the height, Pony, but you still don't got the brawn," he'd tease him, that million dollar smile never far away. It was true, too. Pony had gotten a bit toned from track, but he was still a lanky kid, _especially _compared to Darry.

"Miss Shaw," Mr. Eldridge's voice cut Pony's train of thought like a knife. He peered up and noticed there were only about five of them left in the classroom. _I really gotta quit daydreamin'._ The brunette's friend slowly brought her books to her chest and looked at the older teacher quietly. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"I'll meet you at the lockers." The brunette told her friend, but not before stealing one last glance at Ponyboy. She said nothing though, he didn't think she would. She simply ogled him for a minute longer before leaving the classroom completely.

The blonde had finally made her way to Mr. Eldridge's desk just as Ponyboy walked out of the classroom, his eyes lingering on the girl for a quick second before disappearing into the crowd of students all gathering in the hallway.

* * *

"Shoot, kid, why is it so damn hot?" Two-Bit complained, swiping at his moist forehead as they walked to the Curtis Residence. "I ain't even sure if I'm wiping at sweat or the grease just melted off my hair." He howled with laughter in typical Two-Bit fashion. He was his own biggest fan and everyone knew it. Ponyboy cracked a grin but spoke no actual response. He didn't know why it was so hot, why was Two-Bit barkin' at him?

They walked in silence for a bit after that. All that could be heard was the scuffing of Two-Bit's tough boots dragging along the sidewalk, and that was fine. He welcomed the silence. It beat listening to Shakespeare. "Hey, Two-Bit, why do ya think they teach us about Shakespeare every year?" Is what Pony wanted to ask, but he knew better. Two-Bit Matthews was the biggest slacker he knew. He could be the smartest guy if he wanted, but he'd always throw in a wise crack to spoil it. Pony liked that just fine, though. He admired Two-Bit's ability to remain himself after everything they'd been through. Even now that Two-Bit was twenty, he still spent loads of time at school. He'd peak in and out of random classrooms and the teachers still paid no mind; the guy could get to anyone and make them forget he was in the wrong. He was just _that_ good.

"How was your first day as a junior?" Two-Bit, as always, was the first to break the silence. "Any broads?" he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans as they walked.

Pony thought back to the blonde Soc but said nothing. She wasn't his type – not that Pony really had a type – but if he had, he knew it wouldn't be her. "Nah," he said, squinting from the sun shining down into his eyes. It was September, but the breeze hadn't started up just yet. Tulsa still reeked of summer's happenings; it was still fresh in the air.

Two-Bit shook his head and laughed. "Playboy Curtis is what your folks should have called you," he mused, throwing his head back in laughter. "No bird'll ever tie you down, will they?"

"Oh, shoot, I could say the same for you, Two-Bit." Pony argued half-heartedly. The sun was giving him a headache. "I ain't seen you with a steady girlfriend in years."

"Well, that's bull-shit, and you know it! Remember Carly?" Carly was a loud-mouth blonde Two-Bit brought around for about two weeks last June. She was short and swore like a sailor.

Ponyboy shook his head. "Two weeks ain't goin' steady, Two-Bit."

Two-Bit waved him off. "The hell it ain't. Besides, it's more than you can say, Ponyboy. I ain't seen you with a girl for any longer than a couple dates and even then it's rare."

Pony knew it was true but it didn't make him any less bothered by it. "Shut-up, Two-Bit." Pony mumbled, frowning down at the sidewalk in annoyance. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't just going to date anybody. He'd watched too many movies, read too many books where characters simply settled for the next best thing and it always drove him nuts. Jim Stark didn't just settle for anyone, he wanted Judy and he got Judy. _I want a Judy._

They'd reached the Curtis household within the hour only to find that they were the first ones home. "How 'bout you go make us some food, Pony?" Two-Bit asked, taking a seat on the floor. "Bring me a beer, too."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Pony grumbled, dropping his bag down on the floor beside Two-Bit. "Glory knows how lazy you are."

* * *

Evelyn Shaw gripped her books awkwardly as Mr. Eldridge looked up at her from his desk. She knew she hadn't done anything to get her in any trouble, but her stomach was in knots either way. "Yes, sir?" she asked, her voice timid.

He folded his arms in front of him and looked up at the young girl. "I've spoken to some of your teachers last year and they've informed me of your reading disability."

Evelyn's fair cheeks flushed as her grip on her school books tightened. "Well, it's gotten a lot better within the last few years, sir." And it was true. Evelyn's father had spent loads of money on getting her the best tutor's when she was younger so by the time she reached high school, it wouldn't be as difficult as grade school and middle school had been. It had worked, too. She had gotten quite good at studying her notes long enough to help her out with the road blocks that took a bit of time overcoming such as writing papers and reading, but it did take an awful long time. "I mean," she began, "I've gotten pretty good at reading thicker books and I even pushed out a couple papers worthy of a B."

Mr. Eldridge wasn't like most teachers, Evelyn could tell. While other teachers refused to take her dyslexia into consideration, he'd addressed it head on. Sure, she was embarrassed that he knew, but she was also pretty thankful that he acknowledged it as a legitimate condition rather than thinking she was just some stupid girl who slacked off. "I don't doubt that, but junior year isn't anything to joke about. I can't extend due dates or—"

"I wouldn't expect you to." She cut in, her brows furrowed. "I've been able to manage it for the last two years in high school without having teachers extend anything." Her cheeks were redder than a beet. "It just takes me some time to write the notes in a way I'll understand it better."

He nodded. "I understand that, but it's imperative that you realize you're not always going to have that extra time to write such lengthy notes. I know it's the first day but I do think it would be best if we paired you off with a tutor."

She'd had enough tutors in her lifetime and the idea of having another one wasn't exactly on her to-do list. "I don't need a tutor, though. I've—"

"Miss Shaw, this wasn't a request. Junior year involves a lot of reading and I _really_ think it would be in your best interest to invest some time in tutoring."

Evelyn clenched her jaw sheepishly and she dropped her stare to the desk. _I don't want another tutor_, she thought angrily, _my father would hit the roof if he knew he'd have to invest anymore money in this damn thing_. "My father isn't going to be so willing to toss his money over to a tutor after twelve years of 'em." She bit back. She _really _didn't want another tutor. She didn't want to feel like an idiot all over again.

"He won't have to." He simply said. "This school has loads of kids in it. A handful of 'em, I'm sure, would be willing to tutor you." He scribbled a name on a piece of paper and Evelyn glared at the pen in his hands. He slid the piece of paper over and she took it less-than willingly.

She blinked. "Ponyboy Curtis?" _The hood?_ "He's good at English?"

"He's a bright student." He explained. "I think it would be wise if ya considered it, Evelyn."

"I'll consider it." She said, but she wasn't convinced. "Is there anything else?"

Mr. Eldridge shook his head. "That'd be it."

Evelyn nodded. "Thanks, Mr. Eldriddge." She walked out of the classroom and out into the near-empty hallway only to find Liz, as promised, waiting by the lockers. "Hey." She greeted lackadaisically

"What was that all about?" she asked curiously. "Did I get you in trouble?" Legitimate concern spread across her features. Liz was the only other person outside of her family that knew about Evelyn's dyslexia and she'd feel guilty as sin if she was the one who screwed up the notes she had been taking during class.

"Nah," Evie muttered, sliding her books into the small locker with ease. But that was all she'd say. She felt awkward about the idea of another tutor, and she'd feel even more uncomfortable telling Liz that the hood she'd been giggling about all class was the possible tutor. "How about we hit up the Ribbon before I drop you off?"

Liz instantly beamed. "You read my mind." And just like that, the subject had been dropped.


	2. Nerves

**Chapter 2**

A few days had gone by and Pony still couldn't seem to concentrate. His head was always in the clouds these days and for the first time, it was driving him nuts. "You feelin' alright, kid?" Pony looked up from the cement and quickly looked up at Two-Bit whose eyebrows were perked up in question. "You've been pretty out of it, huh?"

Pony shrugged and shoved his hands inside the shallow pockets of his jeans. "I'm okay, just thinkin' is all."

Two-Bit's smile faltered. He'd seen firsthand how different Ponyboy had been since that fateful day two years ago and it never got easier watching the kid harden with each day that passed. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Ponyboy shook his head and lowered his gaze back down to the pavement beneath them. He didn't feel like talking all the time. He wasn't sad just then, just quiet. No one seemed to get that these days. They all just assumed he wasn't talking because he was sad. Truth be told, he just liked the silence. "Just don't feel like talkin', that's all."

Two-Bit sighed quietly but dropped it. "You two scuzzballs goin' down to the Ribbon tonight?" Mark asked, slicking back his fair hair just the slightest bit more. "I'm buyin'."

Ponyboy forced out a laugh at that. Even if he didn't feel like talking, he had to call him out. "No you ain't," he shook his head. "The day you pay is the day I'll grow wings and fly outta Tulsa."

Mark howled with laughter. "Shoot, ain't you right." He admitted. He shifted his weight so he, too, was leaning against one of the T-Birds lined up along the parking lot. He pulled a smoke out from behind his ear and lit it. His golden eyes slowly lifted off of the smoke ring he'd just puffed out and onto one of many groups of girls hovering around the parking lot of the school. "Ain't that the chick the one that Two-Bit tried hitting up at Ribbon a couple days ago?"

The trio looked across the lot towards a small brunette and Two-Bit smirked. "Sure is," he grinned. He eyed the small girl with interest, but Ponyboy couldn't help but roll his eyes. Two-Bit had indeed tried to chat up the small girl from his English class but got nowhere with it. The girl tried playing footsy with Pony beneath the table instead. "What was her name again? Liv?"

"Liz," Pony corrected, finally looking up at the group of girls. He nearly choked when a pair of grey eyes met his own. He stood up a little straighter as the blonde girl across the lot eyed him in a way that made him feel extremely on edge. She didn't ogle him like her friend had; instead, she always seemed to look right through him, cutting him like a knife.

"Seems Pony's got himself a chick," Mark teased, nudging Ponyboy's ribs. "Pretty little thing too, ain't she?" Pony's face burned a thousand shades of red.

"I don't got nobody." He explained with a scowl, kicking a pebble with his shoe. "I don't even know her."

Two-Bit laughed. "Then why in hell is she walkin' over here?"

"Cut it out, Two-Bit." Pony complained. "No she ain't." But as he looked back towards the girl, his eyes widened for just a moment. She was. _Probably wantin' to talk to Mark or Two-Bit_. He appeased, but it didn't stop him from standing up a little taller so he stood a couple inches taller than the both of them.

"She sure is, Ponyboy," Two-Bit laughed and shoved his hand in the pockets of his leather jacket coolly. He looked awful tough, so did Mark. Ponyboy just felt out of place all of the sudden; like he was a fourteen year old kid all over again. "You think she's friends with that cute brunette?" he asked, blowing a puff of smoke out of his lips. Tough. Pony cringed at how naive he felt right then and there.

The girl was prettier the closer she got. She had long hair, not as long as Curly's sister, Angela, but pretty long, and the colour seemed softer in the sun. Judging by her clothes alone - a mid-length brown skirt and yellow cardigan – she was definitely a Soc. Pony felt uncomfortable under her stare. She looked older than sixteen, and he felt fourteen all over again. "Look tough, Curtis." Mark whispered, throwing his arm over Pony's shoulder.

He shifted again, but it was too late. She stood in front of them and Ponyboy felt awkward as ever. "What can we do you for, kid?" Two-Bit asked.

Her big grey eyes looked up from the concrete towards Two-Bit. "I'm hardly a kid," she gently muttered. She didn't look like a kid, either. This girl was all woman. "I just wanted to talk to Ponyboy real quick." Her eyes danced over to where Pony stood and he was sure his cheeks were on fire. "If that's okay with you."

Mark smacked Ponyboy's chest and pushed him forward, laughing at how stiff his friend looked in comparison to how he was just moments ago. "Sure," Ponyboy strangled out, ignoring Two-Bit's boisterous laughter.

The girl, Evelyn, nodded and walked a little ways over. Pony followed behind her and tried to ignore the nerves bubbling inside of his stomach. Sure, he'd been around girls loads of times, but the first conversation with a new girl was never easy. It felt like every eye was on them as she led him to the far East corner of the lot, away from any prying eyes or ears. "Sorry to drag you away from your friends, Ponyboy." He couldn't get around the fact that she knew his name. He was usually the one who knew everyone's name, but here she was, saying his name like they'd actually known each other.

"It's okay." He simply said, shoving his hands inside of the pockets of his brown jacket. He'd kept it all these years and always felt a little tougher wearing it when the weather got cooler. "You're in my English class, right?" He shifted his weight on the other leg and subconsciously took a step away from her. There were all kinds of eyes on them and he was sure if he even looked at her the wrong way it would bring a fight his way.

She nodded. "Yeah," she told him. "Evie." _Evie_, he repeated. The name suited her for some reason. She didn't look like Steve's Evie, but somehow it still fit. "Listen, I know you're probably a busy guy, but Mr. Eldridge thinks it'd be wise if I got a tutor." His shoulder slumped forward just slightly. He should have known a girl like Evie wouldn't come up to him for anything less than school related stuff. "I, personally, don't think I need one, but he's awful persistent and I don't want him thinkin' I'm not willin' to do all I can to pass."

"Why do you need a tutor?" he asked. But when he saw the flicker of irritation flare behind her grey eyes, he wished he hadn't. He was always saying things without thinking. _I need a damn filter_. "I mean, it's the first week." He retaliated. He always was good at covering up a mistake; he really should've looked into acting.

Evelyn shrugged. "Maybe he's a psychic and sees me flunking in the near future, or somethin', I don't know." She still spoke quietly, but her high cheekbones were getting a bit red. She felt humiliated having to have a peer tutor her. Only Liz had known about her dyslexia and the idea of having some random kid possibly figure it out was putting her on edge. "Never mind," she panicked, tucking a strand of light hair behind her ear. "Thanks for your time, Ponyboy."

She moved to turn on her heel. "Its fine," Pony cut in, but didn't dare reach out to physically stop her from going anywhere. "I'm not all that busy; I can tutor you."

She turned back around to face him and gave him a funny look. "You will?" Pony was floored. Why'd she go out of her way to ask him if she wasn't sure she wanted a tutor? Girls. He just didn't get 'em.

"Sure." Ponyboy appeased with a shrug. "Did you want to meet at the library after school tomorrow?"

Evelyn nodded. "That sounds swell." She looked down at her shoes awkwardly. "I should probably be getting home now; Liz'll kill me if she has to wait another minute." She looked back up into the murky stare of Ponyboy. "I'll see you tomorrow in English, Ponyboy." And before he could get a single word in, she'd turned around and walked back to her group of friends.

He watched as Liz instantly latched onto Evelyn's arm, probably asking for every detail of their conversation. They both climbed into a silver Shelby Mustang, at which Evelyn drove, and zoomed out of the parking lot, leaving Ponyboy in its dust. "Well, Shoot, kid!" Two-Bit declared with a loud laugh, throwing his arm around Pony's shoulders. "Look at you, Mr. Big Shot!"

Ponyboy blushed and shrugged his arm away. "Cut it out, Two-Bit. It ain't a big deal, she just needed a tutor."

"We all know what that means," Mark insinuated, wriggling his light eyebrows in distaste. "I'll be damned if you two get any studyin' done. Not with the way she was lookin' at you, Curtis."

Ponyboy's frowned. "I said cut it out, will ya? It ain't like that."

"Just wait 'till I tell Soda and Steve," Two-Bit announced, a wolfish smile on his lips. "They're gonna flip! Darry, too. His'll just be a silent flip, ya know?" Pony blushed furiously as Mark meandered away to Bryon, leaving Two-Bit and Ponyboy to walk home.

"You ain't tellin' them nothin', because nothin' even happened, Two-Bit Matthews." Pony fought, his dark brows puckered in annoyance. But he knew better to assume Two-Bit wouldn't open his mouth when he surely would. He was Two-Bit after all.

* * *

"So, what did you ask him?" Liz asked, feigning boredom on the matter. It drove Evelyn batty when she did that. She was obviously asking for a reason, why try and cover it up with a casual tone?

Evelyn took a left. "Just asked him if he'd be okay with the idea of tutoring me." She rhymed off.

Liz thought for a moment. "And?"

"And," she began, "I guess he was. We're meeting tomorrow after school." She knew Liz was green with envy, but it wasn't like she asked for this. If she could go to English tomorrow without threats of having Mr. Eldridge flunk her without a tutor, she would. But that wasn't how it worked. She probably _did_ need the extra help, and if Ponyboy was willing to help, she wasn't going to complain. Evelyn stole a quick glance at Liz only to see she was frowning slightly. "Don't give me that that look, Liz," Evie complained. Liz could get any guy she wanted, and it was only because Pony was fresh meat in her eyes that she was even showing interest. "You know I don't want a tutor; you think I want another person knowing I'm as dumb as a pile of rocks?" she joked half-heartedly. "I don't think so."

"You're not dumb, Evie." Liz retaliated. "Does he know, though?" Evie shrugged pathetically; that was a no. Liz sighed. "Are you _going_ to tell him?"

"Not if I don't have to, no." Evelyn said, taking another left onto Liz's street. "I've gone how many years without anyone figuring it out, what makes you think he'll notice?"

The brunette's eyebrows perked up. "_I _noticed." She hinted quietly.

"Yeah, but you were with me a lot."

Liz scoffed sadly. "Evie, he'll notice to. He's going to be tutoring you, you'll need to read things and write things and—"

"Let's just drop it, Liz." Evie cut in anxiously, her stomach in knots. She wasn't crazy over the idea of having Ponyboy tutor her and possibly figure it out first hand just how confusing words could be. Sure, she could read and write, but it _had_ taken twelve years to get that far. It still took her ages to finish homework some nights and if she didn't write her own notes in a format she could understand them, she was, more often than not, a goner. This peer tutoring would definitely be something she'd need to get used to.

She pulled over and drove into Liz's house with ease, waving at Mrs. Gladstone through the kitchen window. "Wait, this means I'll need to find my own way home tomorrow."

Evelyn rolled her eyes impishly and gently shoved her dearest friend. "Somethin' tells me you'll be able to find your own ride home." It was true, too. All Liz had to do was bat her eyelashes a couple times and boys would come flocking to her. She'd be fine.

Liz gave her a look but hopped out of the car nonetheless. "You'd better still be pickin' me up, little missy." She had to laugh at the nickname. Liz was both inches shorter than she was and a full year younger than Evelyn, if anyone was _little_ it was surely Liz.

"See ya, Liz." She said with one final wave as she backed out of the driveway. "Pick ya up around seven!" And then, she was off.

The drive to her own house was quick. She only lived ten minutes away from Liz and there was never much traffic in the suburbs. Evelyn parked her car and walked into her large two-story house only to be greeted with the blue eyes of her little brother, Jimmy. He was smirking in that mischievous way he only ever did when he did something bad. She narrowed her eyes at the eleven year old and stood up a little straighter. "What?"

Jimmy shrugged, but his smirk didn't falter. "Where's that burger you promised me?"

Evelyn's eyes widened as realization hit her like a tonne of bricks. _Darn! _"Oh, shoot!" she hissed. "I completely forgot!" She'd promised she'd pick him up a burger from Dairy Queen or The Ribbon last night, but the thought had completely left her. "I'll bring ya home one tomorrow, I promise."

Jimmy's smirk fell, his blue eyes instantly narrowing into a firm glare. Boy, could he look mean when he wanted to. "But you promised."

"I'll throw in a chocolate milkshake if you can wait until tomorrow night?" she tried with little hope. She'd grown up with three other brothers, and Jimmy was the most like her; stubborn as all hell.

"No." He fought, but their father came into the house not a moment later – just in the nick of time. "Daddy!" Jimmy cried out in glee, hopping up his father's long legs.

Todd Shaw was a very handsome man. He'd married his high-school sweetheart very young and within a few years had popped out four kids. Rodney; 25, Eddie; 20, Evelyn; 17, and Jimmy; 11. Unfortunately, during Jimmy's birth, his beloved wife Natalie grew very sick and within weeks had passed away due to complications brought on by the pregnancy. But, he hadn't dwelled on his lost love. He had a family to raise, and while other men busied themselves with their work and became cold, he did the opposite. He was a very giving man, a very respectable man. Evelyn couldn't think of a time when her father had ever let them down, and she was grateful. She'd witnessed Liz's father's tantrums, she'd seen her other friends fathers spend more time at work rather than at home. But never Todd, never Todd.

"Hey, Jim!" Todd grinned down at his son, his crow's feet crawling up the sides of his eyes. "Hey, honey." He looked at Evelyn and gave her a small smile. "I hope you intend on cooking tonight, I'm starvin'!"

Evelyn rolled her eyes and gave her father a kick kiss on the cheek. "That's fine." She appeased, glaring playfully down at Jimmy before disappearing into the kitchen. Once she was alone, she couldn't help but dwell on the matter of Ponyboy Curtis being her tutor. She hated knowing that a classmate, whether he be a hood or a one of her own, was going to be tutoring her. What if Liz was right? What if he _did_ figure it out? It wasn't going to be hard to figure out if she started sputtering up her words right off the bat. Her cheeks reddened at the thought alone.

It was going to be so embarrassing.

They'd gone so far as hold her back one grade when she was only twelve because they didn't understand what was wrong with her. She was already behind a year; not many people knew that. She was a seventeen year old junior. _That hood's going to think I'm some kind of idiot_. She thought grimly, cracking an egg over the hot pan.

She was dreading tomorrow night. Absolutely dreading it.

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, Soda, the look on his face was just-" Two-Bit broke off into a fit of laughter, falling back onto the couch dramatically as Pony sat still, red as a beet. "You could've given a tomato a run for its money, Pon!" Another howl escaped out of Two-Bit's lips as he grasped his stomach.

Sodapop grinned across at Ponyboy. "Kinda like he is now, huh?" he mused, swatting Pony's arm playfully. "Was she cute?" he asked his younger brother, but all he received was an annoyed glare. "I bet she was or your face wouldn't be so red."

"Well, shoot, Soda." Ponyboy whined. "You're just as bad as Two-Bit." He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to focus on the TV before them, but it was no use. Between Two-Bit's laughter and the blood boiling up to his ears, he couldn't hear a damned thing. "She just asked me if I could tutor her, is all." He retorted glumly. "Now lay off."

But Soda wasn't having it. He may have been tired as all hell from work, but he wasn't going to quit teasing him. "Just wait 'till Darry hears about this," he mused, throwing off his hat, "I bet he'll be on your case, too."

"Ain't nothing to be on my case about!" Pony exasperatingly told them. "She's in my English class, and Mr. Eldridge barked at her a couple times to find a tutor, I guess. Ain't nothin' else to be said."

Silence fell amongst the three of them as Ponyboy calmed himself down. But, as if on cue, Two-Bit gave off a loud snort and began laughing all over again. "Shoot kid, if you were wound any tighter you'd be a damn yo-yo!"

Ponyboy sighed. If this was what he was going to come home to every time he was going to tutor Evie, he wasn't sure he even wanted to anymore. "I'm going to do my homework." He lied, getting up to his feet.

Sodapop watched on, his smile slowly fading as the image of Ponyboy disappeared behind the door of their bedroom. He missed the days where Ponyboy could be a carefree kid – when he still acted like a kid. "Lay off of him, Two-Bit," he sadly said. He just wanted his brother back.

* * *

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	3. All Quiet On The Western Front

**Chapter Three**

"You gettin' nervous?" Liz whispered just as soon as Mr. Eldridge's back was turned towards the chalkboard.

Evelyn shrugged but remained silent. Sure, she was nervous. Heck, nervous might have been an understatement with the way she had been feeling all day. She was beginning to wish she just agreed to flunk; it would make for an easier time it seemed. Her grey eyes looked up at the clock hanging above the door and felt her insides lurch. She had only ten minutes until the final bell rang – ten minutes until she'd have to meet Ponyboy down in the library. _Maybe some big brawl will break out and Ponyboy will have to leave!_ She thought with little hope. Who was she kidding?

She let her eyes slowly saunter over towards Ponyboy only to find that he was already immersed in the book they'd been assigned. She couldn't believe it. They'd only just gotten 'All _Quiet on the Western Front'_ not fifteen minutes before and this kid was already _quite_ a few pages in. Jealousy and embarrassment flared inside of her, but she didn't dare let it show. She could have quite the poker face if she wanted; she'd been taught by her older brother Eddie. He was always real good at keeping his cool.

"Don't sweat it, Ev," Liz winked but couldn't help but notice how pale her friend had been getting. She felt real bad all of the sudden; she hated seeing Evelyn so antsy, it wasn't a good feeling at all.

Evelyn pushed out the smallest of smiles before turning her attention to scribbling down as much notes as she could. She wasn't going by what Mr. Eldridge was writing on the board but instead by what he was actually saying. She wasn't fast enough to decipher all of the strange letterings he'd written down – it always took a few minutes to get her brain functioning to fully understand a couple of written sentences. She'd gotten better, sure, but it was still quite a feat. Verbalizing stuff was always faster for obvious reasons.

"For homework tonight, you're all expected to read chapters one through three, got it?" Mr. Eldridge asked, his old eyes skimming over the students who knowingly slacked off.

Ponyboy finally looked up from the book and slowly closed it. On instinct he looked to his right and saw the familiar image of Evelyn anxiously scribbling down the homework. He still didn't understand why she even needed a tutor when it seemed like all she did was scribble down notes. Her friend, Liz, he'd seen her slack off a couple times, but rarely Evelyn.

The loud bell went off around them and in the midst of writing; Evelyn slowly looked up at Liz with a look of terror. That rattled Ponyboy a little bit. If she was so scared of being alone with him why on earth did she ask _him_ of all people? He frowned and stood up to his full height before sliding the book in the back pocket of his jeans. "Hey." He looked up in vague shock only to see Evelyn's big grey eyes were focused solely on him. "Um, did you need to go to your locker first or…?" She let the sentence hang in the air for Pony to decide and he didn't know what to make it of it.

He shook his head. "No, I've got everything I need." He replied quietly. "Did you?"

"No." She cleared her throat. "Should we go to the library, then?"

The look on Evelyn's face confused Pony in a way he didn't really understand. He'd seen her give Liz a look of complete terror, but now she seemed so calm. He just didn't get it. "Sure."

So they were off. The walk to the library was long and quiet and even though things between the Socs and the Greasers were a lot less intense, Ponyboy still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched by a few of her friends. She was a popular enough girl, and he was a popular enough guy – but it was all within their own social circles. To the rest of the world it was just another high society broad and a bad hoodlum. It drove him nuts.

"Thanks for this, by the way." She spoke quietly but he'd heard her. She had this way of talking just loud enough to be heard.

Ponyboy shrugged. "It's no big deal." He coolly slid his hands inside the pockets of his jacket.

Neither of them said another word to one another as they finally touched down at the library. They found a small table towards the back, away from the majority of the crowd, much to Evelyn's relief. The last thing she wanted was people hearing or seeing her struggle with words. It was degrading. "So, where do we start?" she asked somewhat timidly, tucking a strand of wavy hair behind hear ear.

"I guess we should read the chapters Mr. Eldridge assigned and then go from there." He let his eyes dance around the large library. It always made him blush when he met a girl's eye and he didn't want to look like some kind of tomato in front of her. But he could hear Darry's voice screaming at him that it wasn't very gentlemanly to avoid eye contact and it was only getting louder the longer he put it off. "That okay with you?" he'd asked her, finally caving in. The second his eyes met hers he could feel his ears burning. _Oh, for Pete's sake_.

Evelyn swallowed hard and shrugged her shoulders as if to say "it's really up to you", but she couldn't deny her nerves. Reading right off the bat was something she was hoping to avoid, but she was proud and too embarrassed to say otherwise. "Sure." She picked up the book and observed the cover for a few seconds. Hoping maybe, just maybe the answers to her troubles were somewhere hidden on the image of the novel. She had no such luck, though, so before she wasted another second, she flipped it open and stared down at dark lettering. She began to get flustered as she slowly read off the first few sentences. She'd seen Ponyboy flip through two already and she'd only _just_ finished off a paragraph; it wasn't going well. She swallowed again and tried to look down at the work sheet Mr. Eldridge had assigned, but the more flustered she became, the harder it got to put her full attention in deciphering the words.

Ponyboy flipped yet another page as he disappeared into the novel. He was always being ragged on at how fast he could read a book, but it was like his track – he didn't have to take in anything around him as he read or ran. He just had to do plunge into it and before he knew it, it was over with. That was why he was always re-reading his books, he'd finished them all too fast for his own good. He was halfway done chapter three when he just happened to look across the table towards Evelyn. She had this look on her face, like she was really confused or something, but when he looked down at what chapter she was on, his brows furrowed in confusion. She was lucky if she was three pages in. _She's probably re-reading bits of it for the questions_, so he went back to finishing off the rest of the chapter.

He'd finished off the third chapter within a few minutes and quietly took out the worksheet. He opened his mouth to ask if she'd finished but stopped upon seeing she still had that lost look on her face; she was still on the same page. "Did ya need help with anythin'?" he asked carefully.

Ponyboy's voice snapped her awake. She looked up instantly and took in his slightly confused but genuine face before shaking her head. "I just don't get it," she lied, "it doesn't make sense to me."

"Oh," was all he said, "well, what don't ya get?"

Evelyn's eyes quickly looked towards her notes and saw the name _Paul_. "Paul," she improved, "I don't get why he joined the army."

She was lying through her teeth and Pony sensed that, but he wasn't about to call her out on it. "I guess some guys think it wise. I don't know." He looked down at the worksheet and awkwardly bent one of the corners up in hopes to distract himself. "I never knew no one who went to war."

"Nobody?" she asked half-heartedly.

Ponyboy shook his head. "Not one person. My brother, Soda, and his buddy Steve are always jokin' around about enlisting, but I doubt it'll ever happen."

Evelyn knew Sodapop Curtis but didn't bother telling Ponyboy that. Instead she said, "My brother got drafted about two months ago." She didn't look all the sad, and that confused Ponyboy beyond belief. "He's real adaptable. I don't know how he's so hot over the idea of going to war, but he is."

Images of Soda and Steve being shipped off to Vietnam plagued Ponyboy right then and he didn't like it one bit. He wouldn't know what he'd do if Soda decided to enlist; losing Dally and Johnny had been one thing but the possibility of losing a brother scared him half to death. He didn't like this subject too much anymore. He looked down at the worksheet. "So what d'ya think are the four main character traits of Paul?" he asked.

She started to sweat again. Boy, did she hate this.

Ponyboy noticed the girl before him stiffen considerably and frowned in confusion. Did she read anything? "Did you want to read the chapter again or—"

"Did Mr. Eldridge talk to you about this at all?" she asked, cutting him off mid-sentence. She didn't sound rude but he could tell she was on edge. "Did he pull you aside and tell you why I needed a tutor, or anythin' of the sort?"

"No," Pony replied quietly. He didn't get this girl at all. "Why?"

She stared at him for a long time after that. Her grey eyes sliced into him and it made him anxious as heck. Her brows puckered in concentration, as if she was trying to see right through him, but Pony couldn't look away. Her eyes got real stormy and for a second he thought she was going to scream at him. But she didn't. She simply lowered her gaze down to the table separating them and blinked. "I think I've had enough tutoring for today, Ponyboy." She mumbled, real quiet-like. "Did you need a drive home?"

Had he done something wrong? He was sure he hadn't but it was possible, he was always saying things without thinking. "We didn't get anything done." He pointed out, but by the look on her face he knew she didn't care too hard about that. So, instead of pushing the matter any further he shrugged his shoulders and nodded his head. "Sure, I'll take a ride home."

* * *

She kept the top of the car up as they drove towards the DX. Neither dared to be the first person to break the long bout of silence, _Ain't No Sunshine_ by Al Green was the only thing that could be heard humming from the radio, and even then it was real low. She had the window rolled down just the smallest bit and he couldn't help but watch as a few strands of her light hair blew back. She sure drove a tough car; it was almost contradictory. She seemed soft, not weak or anything, just soft and yet her car was tough as nails. He kind of liked it.

"You didn't do anything wrong, if that's what you're thinkin', Ponyboy." Evelyn finally said, breaking the tension between them. For some reason, he figured she wasn't finished just yet, so he kept his trap shut. "I just get all funny like that sometimes." She thought for a moment as she turned right into the DX. "I get it though – if you don't wanna be my tutor – I wouldn't be mad."

He felt bad all of the sudden and he didn't know why. "I don't mind. I have track tomorrow but if you want to meet up afterwards I wouldn't have a problem with it."

Evelyn considered it and wanted to say no, but she'd try to read a few chapters tonight – at her own pace – and make enough notes to last her a lifetime so she'd be ready for tomorrow. "Sure." She muttered. "Thanks, Ponyboy."

He nodded and looked out the window only to catch Soda's stare. He was looking at her car with a great big grin on his face; he wasn't sure if it was because he'd seen the car or because he'd have a girl to hold over Ponyboy's head now. Either way, he knew he wasn't going to hear the end of it. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." He said, opening up the car door.

"See you in English." She confirmed before zipping off. She didn't linger around like some girls would have, she just drove off. This girl wasn't getting any easier to decode.

Ponyboy stuffed his hands inside of his coat pockets just as Steve ran up to him. He was covered in oil as per usual, but his eyes were narrowed in question. "Since when did you start hangin' 'round with people drivin' cars like that?"

Pony shrugged. "Since I started tutorin' someone who has a car like that." He mouthed off.

He saw Steve's eyes narrow in irritation but Soda approached the pair before anything further could be exchanged. Soda gave them a low whistle as he watched the car disappear down the strip. "Was that the girl Two-Bit was teasin' ya about?" he asked, his dirty-blonde hair was tousled around his head from the amount of wind. Ponyboy said nothing but his ears reddened and that alone gave Sodapop his answer. "Shoot Pony, she's cute," he winked, swatting his brother in the chest playfully. "And that car," his eyes glazed over in admiration. "That's one tough car, ain't it?"

Steve nodded as he rubbed his dirty hands on the pant legs of his jeans. "Her left tail light is out though," he commented. "She know that?"

"How am I supposed to know?" he asked casually as a strong burst of wind blew between them. He made a mental note to tell her tomorrow. "Anythin' I can help out with?" he asked Soda, knowing Steve wouldn't be too hot over the idea of having some kid work on cars _he_ was supposed to be fixing.

Soda looked towards Steve and threw his arm around Ponyboy's shoulders. "I'm sure we can find somethin' for you to do, right Steve?"

Steve rolled his eyes as a line of curse words rolled off of his tongue. "Oh, sure we do. It ain't like we got a job to do or nothin'."

* * *

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	4. Brothers

"Good time tonight, Curtis." Coach Reynolds said with a firm nod of his head.

Breathing evenly to catch his breath, Ponyboy nodded in thanks as he made his way off the track. He was thankful that he didn't see Evelyn's car in the parking lot as he walked out from behind the fence; he must have looked like a bum with the amount of sweat dripping off of his forehead. This was good; he had time to clean himself up. He dropped his tattered old bag on the ground and brought out a handkerchief to quickly wipe away the moisture on his face all before seeing the familiar silver Mustang pull into the lot. He shoved the moist fabric into his back pocket quickly and stood up a little straighter upon seeing her through the window. She had her long hair pulled away from her face with a red headband. _Does she look swell, or what? _

She pulled right up to him and he hopped in. Only they weren't alone. There was a kid, not a year older than twelve, sitting directly behind Evelyn. They had the same eyes; no doubt they must have been related. "Sorry I was late, were you waiting long?" Evelyn asked, waving back to Anthony Thompson, another Soc on Ponyboy's track team.

"No." He simply said, not entirely knowing what to do or say with a kid in the back seat.

Evelyn looked across at Ponyboy and took in his hair. It was slicked back from what she assumed to be sweat, but he looked real good. He turned his neck just enough so he faced her and she instantly averted her eyes to the steering wheel. "This is James. Or Jimmy." She introduced quietly. "Jimmy, this is Ponyboy."

Ponyboy looked back at the kid and raised his chin in greeting. Jimmy simply looked from Ponyboy back to his sister before looking back at Ponyboy. "Is that your real name?"

Evelyn laughed gently and looked at her brother through the rear-view mirror. She didn't say anything though; she just looked back at Ponyboy and raised her eyebrow at him curiously. "Well," she asked with a small smile, "is it?"

Pony blushed. "Yeah." He turned back around to face the front. "Yeah, it's my real name."

He must have got that question a lot, she assumed. It made sense, it wasn't exactly a common name – but then again, neither was Sodapop. "Ev's middle name is Francis." Jim cut in obliviously. "That's a boy's name."

Evelyn's smile faded instantly as she scowled at her younger brother through the rear-view mirror. "It's not a boy's name." She argued. "It's not a boy's name." She repeated, only this time to Ponyboy who looked at her with a tiny smile on his face. "I just have to drop Jim off at his friend's house." Ponyboy nodded, listening to _These Arms of Mine_ by Otis Redding as his smooth voice filtered through her radio.

Jim cleared his throat from the back seat. "Are you and Evie gonna neck?"

Ponyboy choked and Evelyn's face brightened about four shades of red. "Where did you learn that, Jim?" she questioned, her eyes wider than quarters. "For Pete's sake you're eleven!" Jimmy laughed but didn't answer her question. "And no, he's helping me with school."

"He's a teacher?"

She sighed and stole a glance at Ponyboy. He was pulling one of those faces where they pretend they're not listening in but it was obvious they were. "No. He's my tutor." She replied, taking a quick left onto Maple Street.

Jimmy was quiet and both teenagers were somewhat grateful. Ponyboy was used to growing up with brothers, but he'd always been the youngest. He'd never really had to deal with kids before, heck, he was still a kid himself, but this kid was young. Real young. He'd spent many years chasing young Greasers around Jimmy's age for years with Dallas and Johnny – sitting in a car with one was a whole other experience.

"Is he teaching you how to read or something?" Jim asked innocently.

Ponyboy chuckled softly but as soon as he looked across at Evelyn, his smile fell. She was stiff, pale as a ghost and looked _extremely_ shamefaced. Realization slowly dawned on Pony, but he didn't want to assume the worst. He knew hoods that couldn't read, but they slacked off and – quite the lot of them – didn't even bother learning. But this girl wasn't a hood and she certainly didn't look like she slacked off. _Her brother's probably just teasin' her._ He knew the feeling all too well.

They pulled up at Jim's friend's house. "Be safe, kid." Evelyn mumbled her knuckles white on her steering wheel.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jim hopped out of the car and practically ran to the front door. Mrs. Waits waved to Evelyn briefly before shutting the door behind Jim but Evelyn didn't notice. Her stare was fixed on the wheel, her mind racing.

"So, where do you want to study?" she asked hesitantly. "Whose house, I mean."

The idea of Evelyn seeing his tiny home on the wrong side of the tracks made Ponyboy squirm. He hadn't cleaned up the night before and that meant no one else had, either. Curly Shepherd had even stayed the night; he couldn't imagine the mess waiting for him back home. "Yours." He slowly answered. "I haven't got around to cleaning mine just yet."

Evelyn pushed out a diminutive smile. "My brother is home from college for the week from college, so Lord knows what mine looks like right now."

He chuckled. "Shoot, how many brothers and sisters do you have?" he asked curiously.

"Three brothers." She smiled and stole a quick glance at Ponyboy. He'd rolled his window down and his hair was quickly drying from the wind tearing through it. Just then, with the sun shining down on his face, he looked straight out of the movies. With his tousled brown locks, murky hazel eyes and pronounced jaw – golly, did he look handsome. She blinked and broke the brief attraction instantly. "Rodney, he's the oldest and he's the one in 'Nam. Then there's Eddie, he's twenty – and you met the littlest one, Jimmy." She tensed up at the recollection of Jimmy outing her dyslexia but pushed it to the back of her mind. "If Eddie's home…don't mind him. He's a wacky guy."

"That's okay." Pony soothed. He wasn't a scared little kid when it came to other guys; it was just the girls that set him off the edge. He could handle Eddie, he knew he could but Evelyn was a whole other story. It wasn't like she made him nervous, but she was full of surprises and he never took well to shock value. "Soda can be pretty wacky, too. Darry _can_ be if he's having a loose kinda day, but it's rare ya know?"

She laughed and nodded her head. "I can't say I'm used to that." She admitted, looking over at him with a glimmer in her eye. "Rod and Eddie have _always_ double teamed me ever since we were kids. I've never had a serious brother and believe me it would have been nice at times." Her hair was blowing all around her face from the wind blowing in through Ponyboy's window. "They'd always rag on me when I was kid. Heck, they still do." A louder laugh escaped through her red lips. "I have a scar on my knee from when I was eight when Rodney threw me off of a swing so he and Eddie could sit beside each other." He caught her subconsciously looking down at her knee and smiled slightly to himself. "Then when Jim was born, it only got worse. He may be half my height, but the boy is obnoxious. The three of 'em together are disastrous."

It was strange thinking of Evelyn as one of the boys; roughhousing and what-not. Looking across at her she seemed so soft and tailored – the idea of her rolling around with her brothers, getting all bruised and dirty was weird but wonderful at the same time. "I dig," he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket and showed her a small, pink scar running up his elbow. "When I was six or seven Darry thought it'd be real wise to throw me into a fence so he could show off to my dad." He laughed at the vague memory and slowly rolled down his sleeve. "Sodapop didn't even help me up; he was just so caught up in Darry's flip that he ignored me wailin' like a baby all together." The memory of that seemed almost an eternity ago. Things were so pure back then, so simple.

The sound of Evelyn's hilarity woke him out of his thoughts. Her head was thrown back in amusement and the veins her neck swelled with laughter. It wasn't an obnoxious laugh, it was nice – it was genuine. "Your brothers and my brothers should throw a picnic, Ponyboy." She joked once she'd finally stopped laughing. He hadn't even noticed they'd stopped driving until just then.

"I don't think that's such a hot idea," he smirked, ignoring the astounding size of the house before him. "All they'd do is rag on us the entire time."

Evelyn chuckled and hopped out of the car. "You can leave your gym bag in here since I'll be drivin' ya home." She watched as Pony nodded and hesitantly climbed out of the car. "So long as it doesn't stink up my car." Pony froze instantly as he looked over the car towards the grinning Evelyn. "It was a joke, Ponyboy."

_A joke. It was a joke, calm down you idiot_. He laughed somewhat awkwardly as he closed the door behind him. He was at Evelyn's heel within seconds of her opening up the front door of her house. Her house looked even bigger on the inside. The décor was all very old and paintings seemed to decorate every single wall in the place. It was nothing like Ponyboy had ever seen. "Some place you got." He mumbled incredulously, eyeing one painting of a little girl with familiar eyes and light hair. "Is that you?"

"My mom painted all of these." Evelyn said as she came up beside him, looking at the same painting with a blank stare on her face. He noticed she did that a lot. Got real blank and casual at the mention of certain things; she reminded him a bit of Sodapop in that aspect. Soda was always the happy-go-lucky Curtis, but as soon as something was brought up that he didn't want to talk about he'd get real casual – not tough or hardened like Darry – but just vacant. It only ever lasted for a few seconds, but it never went unnoticed by Pony. This was no different. "Anyway, want to set up in the dining room?"

He shrugged and followed her into the large room. The place was just huge, he couldn't get over it. "So, what is it that you need help with in English?" he asked, taking a seat on the green chair carefully. Boy, oh boy, did he feel out of place. "I can't help ya if I don't know what you're needin' help with."

Evelyn tensed and pulled out the chair directly across from him before taking a seat. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the loud voice of her brother, Eddie. "That you, Ev?" he cried out from upstairs.

"Yeah, Ed, who else would it be?"—She looked at Ponyboy and rolled her grey orbs—"He always asks that. It drives me crazy."

Ponyboy pushed out a smile just as the heavy footsteps of her brother were heard. "Well, it could've been dad. Or Jim. Hell, Ev, it could have been—" the man stopped dead in his tracks as he walked in and saw Pony sitting across from his sister. "—a complete stranger."

Eddie and Evelyn looked _nothing_ alike, Pony noticed. Eddie's hair was nearly black and his eyes were an electric blue colour; if he'd seen them on the streets he never would have assumed they were related. "Ponyboy, this is my brother Eddie; Eddie, this is Ponyboy." Evelyn introduced the pair. "He's tutorin' me."

The second a smile broke out across Eddie's face, Pony could see the sudden resemblance between the siblings. They may not have shared the same eyes or hair colour, but their smile was identical. "That better not be some codeword for anything _I_ wouldn't do, Ev." He wriggled his thick, dark eyebrows and laughed obscenely loud. _He and Two-Bit would be like two peas in a pod_.

"When I said tutorin', I meant tutorin'." She told him, but a certain playfulness oozed from her tone. She quickly turned back towards Ponyboy and gave him a wry smile. "Did you want somethin' to drink? A Coke, maybe?"

"Yeah, sure." He said.

Evelyn nodded and pushed herself off of the chair. "Get me one, too." Eddie told her, blocking her from going into the kitchen. "Or I'll embarrass you in front of your boyfriend over there."

Ponyboy could practically _hear_ the blood rush to his ears, but all Evelyn did was push her brother out of the way. Both men watched her walk out but before Ponyboy could even think to get the novel out, Eddie had taken her seat to silently observe Pony. He hated that feeling. "So, you're her tutor?" he spoke casually, but there was a tone of warning clear in his voice.

Pony nodded silently.

Eddie sat up a little straighter and flipped through Evelyn's book that was lying in between them. "I suppose she's told ya about her deal then." _Deal?_ Pony thought in confusion. _What deal? _Eddie looked up from the pages and his blue eyes narrowed just slightly. "If I find you've made even the smallest crack about it, I _will_ hurt you, kid."

Pony never responded well to threats, but he was too confused to even take heed that it even _was_ a threat. "I'm not gonna make fun of her, just 'cause she needs a tutor." He responded carefully. He was treading deep waters here, and he had no clue as to why.

Eddie rested back in his seat. "She's moved school's because of this. I don't want to have to see my kid sister go through the humiliation all over again, ya dig?" Pony remained silent but nodded nonetheless. "Good. Good answer,"—he looked towards the kitchen to ensure Evelyn was still gone—"just be slow with her, kid. I know it ain't a common thing, but she's gettin' real good at adapting."

"Ed," Evelyn's voice cut in, and for a second both boys thought they had been caught. "Scarlett's at the door for ya."

He was up to his feet within seconds. "That broad is always early." He declared. "I'll see you two cats later," he vowed, messing up Evelyn's hair annoyingly. "Nice meetin' ya, Ponyboy." And with that, he left the pair alone.

To say Ponyboy Curtis was confused would have been the understatement of the century.

"I hope he didn't say anythin' _too_ unfavourable about me." She winked, handing him the bottle of Coke. "He can be a real handful; I wouldn't put it past him."

All he could do was shoot her a dry, confused smile before staring down at the table. A million and one thoughts were soaring through his mind. He watched as she pulled out a bundle of notes from her bag and couldn't help but let his eyes linger on the rushed writing; it was all so jumbled. "So, what chapter did you read up to?" he managed to ask, trying to be subtle with his interest.

"I could only read up to chapter five." She told him, recollecting just how late she'd been up reading the book. She hadn't gone to bed until about three in the morning, but she'd never tell him that. "It's real interesting so far."

"I thought so, too." He agreed. "Then again, I get so caught up in every book. I don't think I'm all too picky to be honest."

Evelyn tilted her head enquiringly. "You read a lot?"

Ponyboy nodded awkwardly. "Yeah; I read a lot. Do you?"

For the second time jealousy flared inside of her. She wondered if she'd always be like that. Jealousy was unbecoming; her father would always say – but especially lately – that was all she felt when she'd see people read without difficulty. "No. I don't like books." She muttered miserably.

And just like that, the topic had been dropped.

**A/N Ahhh, you guys are terrific. Actually astounding how nice you guys are! Please continue to review, it really helps! x**


	5. Ribbon

It was cooler now that the sun had dipped down below the horizon. Evelyn shivered from the effects of the chilly winds as they drove in silence. They must have studied for three hours straight but she couldn't deny that there was a divide between the two of them. Ponyboy knew something, she was sure of it. She _had_ to tell him before he figured it out himself, the idea of Ponyboy approaching her was mortifying. "Do you need to be home by a certain time?" she finally asked.

Pony turned to face her and subtly took her in. She was wearing a thin red sweater with a pale yellow skirt and she looked awful cold. He made a mental note of offering her his jacket if they got out of the car. "No," he told her, "why? What'd ya have in mind?"

She shrugged loosely. "Did ya want to have a quick bite to eat at the Ribbon? I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

Ponyboy's eyebrows perked up at the suggestion. His stomach had been grumbling for the past hour and a half – food of _any_ sort sounded amazing. "Sure, that sounds good."

They didn't have to drive very long before the familiar strip everyone called the Ribbon entered into Pony's line of vision. It was always a pretty busy area but it was a Friday night and boy was it hectic. There were cars everywhere and the youth of Tulsa seemed to be popping out of the woodwork. Luckily, Evelyn had found a place to park that wasn't too far away from one of the burger joints and before he knew it, they were walking into the overcrowded diner. He'd recognized a few faces from school and watched as each consecutive eyebrow rose in their direction. He saw Bryon and his current girl, but Bryon simply ignored Ponyboy as per usual. Things were always tense between them, and Pony never knew why. "Gosh, it's no better in here than it is outside, is it?" Evelyn asked him, shivering slightly as they walked to a vacant booth. "It's freezing."

Pony glanced at his jacket briefly before shrugging it off. "Here, I warm up pretty fast." He told her, placing the heavy jacket on her shoulders gingerly. Evelyn blushed and moved to protest, but Pony simply shook his head. "It'd be lying on the booth beside me if it weren't on your shoulders, don't sweat it."

Evelyn smiled despite herself and snuggled right into his jacket. It smelt just like him; cigarettes and fresh detergent. "Thanks, Pony." She told him politely as they took their seats. The waitress came by and took their orders pretty fast, considering how busy the place was, and left the pair alone with their thoughts. She didn't know how to just come out and tell him about her little problem. She didn't even know him all that well and yet she was supposed to tell him about her dyslexia? "Say, since we're gonna be spending a bit of time with each other, how do feel about playin' a little game?" she said out of nowhere, sipping at her Coke nervously.

He looked across at her and furrowed his brows. "What kind of game?" he asked, leaning back into the booth.

She thought for a moment. "Like a question game. We each get to ask five questions. Ya know, to get to know each other better." She looked up from the bottle before her and shot him an impish grin. "Ya dig?"

"Sure," Ponyboy mumbled shyly. "Who goes first?"

Evelyn sat up and pushed the bottle away from her lips. "I'll go." She looked across at him and bit her lip in hopes a question would come to her. "How old were you when you had your first kiss?" she blurted out.

Pony was sure he was red all over. "Uh, fifteen, I guess." He muttered sheepishly. "How old were you?"

Evelyn smirked. "Is that your question?"

He blinked. "I only get five questions?"—she nodded—"Then no." He said, tapping his fingers on his knee beneath the table. "When's your birthday?"

"August eighteenth." She simply said. "Why are you so shy?"

He shifted uncomfortably and shrugged. "I don't know," he murmured, "I just am."

She watched as his cheeks reddened ever so slightly and smiled to herself. This kid was something else. While other sixteen year old boys were out hitting on girls and talking real dirty about them, there he sat – red as a beet. "Well, you shouldn't be." She told him honestly.

_If only it was that easy_, he thought bitterly. "Why do you _really_ need a tutor?" he asked, the question that he'd wanted to ask from day one.

Evelyn's big grey eyes only widened ever so slightly before she looked down at her Coke. She knew that question would come up and she'd been subtly bracing herself for it, but she hoped he'd at least save it for his last question. She slowly looked up at him and breathed out a quiet sigh. "If you tell anyone what I'm about to tell you…" she let the threat hang in the air, not entirely knowing where it would take her.

Pony watched the girl carefully. "I won't tell no one." He promised.

She believed him; she didn't know why, but she did. Slowly, she leaned in closer to him and he followed in suit. "The only reason I'm telling you this is because you're bound to figure it out sooner or later, and I'm not about to face the humiliation of you finding it out on your own." She looked right into his eyes, just looking for a sign that she should shut her mouth and leave him be. She couldn't spot anything but curiosity in them and that scared her half to death. Finally, she sighed and could feel her palms get real clammy. "Have you heard of dyslexia?" she asked, barely audibly.

Pony blinked. He'd heard the term a few times but it was never really something he knew a lot about. He racked his brain for where he'd heard it but he couldn't think clearly. He felt nervous for some reason and he never _could_ concentrate when his nerves got the best of him. "I've heard about it but I can't say I know what it is."

A large part of her was hoping he knew all about it so she didn't have to explain anything, but she knew it would be too good to be true. "It's this thing that some people have and it's like," she paused and thought for a moment, "I can't really see things the way you do. The way normal people do." She noticed the look of pure confusion on his face and she felt her anger grow. _Why can't he just get it?_ Instead of beating around the bush any longer, Evelyn leaned in closer and swallowed hard. "I can't read very well."

"What do you mean you can't read?" Of course he knew what she meant, but it didn't make any sense. Sure, he had suspicions but he always did have a wild mind, this couldn't be true.

She looked real irritated and Pony found himself regretting he'd even said a word. "I never said I couldn't read," she bit back venomously. "I said I couldn't read _very well_. I see words all jumbled at first glance, ya know? That's why it takes me so long to get through the readings we're assigned. I must've spent a good five or six hours tryin' to read three measly chapters." She blushed furiously and looked down at the table. "I don't expect you to understand it, but I didn't want you thinkin' I wasn't tryin' either."

He didn't know what to say. She looked humiliated as she stared holes into the table separating them. It made sense, though. He'd seen her take notes, he'd seen her do the work and it never made sense as to why she'd need a tutor. Well, until now. Eddie's threat, Jim's oblivious statement – it all made sense now. "Does anyone else know?"

"Just my dad and my brothers and you and Liz." She told him quietly, still not daring to look up at him. "And I want to keep it that way."

The idea of Liz, though admittedly he didn't know her all that well, knowing something so private about Evelyn made him antsy; he trusted Liz just as far as he could throw her. "What's it like?" he asked curiously. He couldn't imagine not being able to read the written word as it was supposed to be read. It sounded terrible.

Slowly, Evelyn looked up at Ponyboy and creased her eyebrows. She'd never been asked that before. Not by her tutors, not by her family, not even by Liz. What _was_ it like? "I don't know. It's like looking down at a word search." She told him, ensuring no one could hear their conversation. "Like, it's all jumbled and it all just looks wrong. Wrong order, wrong letters – but then you focus in on the puzzle and you can sort of see words begin to stand out."

Ponyboy had always hated word searches. "That sounds hard."

Evelyn scoffed, but it didn't take on the anger she hoped it would; it was tired, almost derisive. "Sure it is." She admitted. "But the cards have been dealt, nothin' no one can do about it now."

"Well, look who we have here!"

Both teens snapped their heads up at the sudden interruption only to see it was none other than Mark, his golden eyes glimmering at the pair playfully. "Curtis and - I'm sorry baby I didn't catch your name."

Evelyn's jaw clenched for just a moment before looking up at him. "Evelyn." She muttered, sliding over as Mark took a seat beside her.

Pony was too busy glaring at his friend to even think to introduce the pair. Mark noticed this but he only smirked and winked at Ponyboy knowingly. "Evelyn, huh?" he asked, turning to face the young woman with a certain glimmer in his eyes. "Pony, isn't this the doll you've been tutorin' for the last week?"

Evelyn awkwardly looked down at the table just as Pony clenched his jaw. "Yeah, this is Evie."

"Evie," Mark mused with a smile. "That's a good name you got. Nothing stupid like Angela or Cathy." He watched both Evie and Ponyboy look on in confusion and was about to change the subject when—

"My middle name is Cathy," Evelyn dead-panned.

That shut Mark up for a moment, but Ponyboy was left reeling. _I thought it was Francis…_"He didn't mean it that way, he just—"

A large smirk broke out across Evelyn's lips as she took another sip of her Coke. "I was jokin', Ponyboy." She turned to look at Mark only to see a slow smile start to crawl up his lips.

"I like this one, Curtis," he said, sliding an arm around her shoulders. "She's spunky. I approve." He was saying it to purely get under Ponyboy's skin. He knew how shy this kid got and seeing him blush made him grin in satisfaction. He was always doing that; he knew all of the right buttons to press and just how hard he could press them to get off scot-free every time. "So what are you two cats doing at the diner, huh? Not a very study-appropriate type of atmosphere I would think."

"We just got a bite to eat is all, Mark," Pony mumbled awkwardly. "We were hungry."

Mark's lion-sized grin could be seen a mile away. "I bet you were." He joked just as two platefuls of food were placed on the table. He instantly snatched a fry away from Pony's plate and shoved it into his mouth. "So, what's in the agenda for tonight?" he asked them as he chewed on the fry. "Little party up at Buck's or maybe a double feature? I can get some rum from Jerry and make it a great time."

Evelyn didn't want to answer for Ponyboy, so she simply picked up her burger and took a big bite out of it. Ponyboy shrugged and looked over at Evelyn who was too busy eating her burger to answer Mark's invitation. "I don't know, Mark."

"Oh come on, Curtis. I know you have a rebellious bone _somewhere_ in your body. I've seen you knock out a guy twice our size, bring the fun Curtis out tonight."

Her eyes widened at this. It wasn't a shock to the system to know Pony had been in fights before, but she'd never taken a liking to fights. She couldn't understand people who crowded around fights, chanting and urging the fight to continue. It just seemed stupid. Why would anyone _want_ to see someone getting hurt?

He looked down at his untouched burger before finally shrugging his shoulders. "What do you say, Ev?" he asked, looking up her curiously. He wanted to know more about her dyslexia, see if there was anything he could do to make it easier for them – but a part of him knew the window of opportunity to talk about it so openly had closed.

Both boys were looking at her for an answer now. _So much for not getting involved, _she thought sardonically. "I don't know, I—"

"Ev!" All three heads shot up in the direction of the loud voice. "_And_ Curtis!" Liz exclaimed with a big grin on her lips. "What are you guys doin' here?" She eyed Mark curiously but the object of her affection was still Ponyboy. She slid in right beside him and wasn't at all subtle when her hand brushed against his thigh beneath the table. He stiffened immediately.

"Just came for a bite to eat after studyin'." Evelyn explained, dipping her fry in the ketchup. "What about you?"

"Oh, you know me," she began with a gentle shrug. "I go where the night takes me. I saw your brother at Tony Dubois' thing with his girlfriend. I didn't know they were still together." She looked up at Ponyboy and grinned. "Sweet pea, you've got a big glob of ketchup on your lip." She giggled and let her fingers touch the corner of his mouth to swiftly wipe off the red mess.

Ponyboy's face was burning, Mark was laughing and Evelyn eyed Liz in confusion. "Have you been drinkin'?" she asked knowingly. She was never _this_ brazen while sober. Sure, she was a flirt, but this was taking it a little far.

A tiny hiccup escaped Liz's lips. "Am I that obvious?" Instead of waiting on an answer, she looked across at Mark and narrowed her eyes. "Who is this boy?"

"Mark," Evelyn began, but Mark cut her off before she could finish.

"I'm a guy whose been tryin' to get these two to go out and enjoy the night." He stole another few fries off of Evelyn's plate.

Liz's brown eyes widened in excitement. "Oh, _yes_!" She cried out joyously. "What were you lot thinkin'?"

Evelyn groaned; now she really _couldn't_ go home. She wasn't about to leave Liz to stumble around like a drunk around town with no sense of direction whatsoever. It was dangerous. She looked up and caught Ponyboy's stare. He was looking at her awful intensely, as if he was trying to tell her something, but she didn't catch on. She simply shrugged pitifully and went back to eating her meal. She had quite a strong backbone, but not when it came to turning a blind eye towards Liz's drunken behaviour.

"Double feature with some rum or drive up to Pedal's Point and see what's shakin'." Mark told her. "I hear there's a beer blast or somethin' goin' on, could be good."

Liz made a disgusted face. "That's where I just came from, it's no good. Booze is gone and it's already dyin' out."—She turned to face Ponyboy and subtly moved an inch closer to him—"You up to see a double feature, Curtis?"

"Sure he is," Mark interrupted, instantly getting up to his feet. "C'mon." He immediately started to walk out of the diner, but Evelyn stopped him.

"Just hang on a hot second, let the waitress come so we can get the bill and—"

Mark scoffed and shot her a big grin as Liz followed him out the door. "Just leave it, Evie." He was heading out the door with Liz at his heel faster than anything.

Pony awkwardly stood up only to see Evelyn place a few bucks on the table. "I'm not going to leave the poor girl with nothin'," she explained before walking up to Ponyboy. "Let's just go."

Once they were outside she spotted Liz and Mark out by her car. Mark was just sitting on the hood, eyeing Liz carefully as she explained something to him. He didn't look impressed. "_Finally,_" Mark sighed, hopping off of the hood to completely walk away from Liz. "Don't tell me you paid for it." He eyed the pair carefully.

She remained silent as she walked around to the driver's side of the car. "Ev, why you in Pony's jacket?" Liz asked, contempt clear in her voice.

"Oh, right,"—she shrugged off the jacket—"sorry, I forgot."

She handed it to Ponyboy but he only shrugged and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about it. I'm alright."

Evelyn laughed quietly. "It warmed me up plenty; take it."

"I'll take it," Liz suggested, grabbing the brown jacket with ease. "Now, let's get this show on the road!"

**A/N How are you guys liking it?! I'm loving all of the feedback, you're all actually amazing. The next chapter will be out tomorrow hands down :) x**


	6. Romeo & Juliet

Neither were sure how it happened, but Pony ended up in the backseat with Liz and Mark ended up beside Evelyn in the front. Mark had a nice buzz going on and with the amount of rum Liz had gulped down as soon as they'd touched base, Evelyn was sure she'd be dead by the morning. She'd never seen her drink _that_ much before.

"Ponyboy, why aren't you talkin' to me?" Liz slurred, her eyelids heavy. "Am I annoyin' you or somethin'?"

Pony just wanted to watch the movie that was playing on the screen before him but Liz wouldn't have that. "I'm just tryin' to watch the movie is all." He mumbled gently. She may have gotten on his nerves, but he wasn't going to be mean to her. "It's nothin' personal." _What a lie_.

"She sure can talk a guy's ear off, can't she?" Mark asked, craning his neck around to look at the drunken mess in the backseat. "She usually like this?" he asked Evelyn.

She sighed, glaring daggers into the movie screen. "She drank half that bottle all by herself; she ain't gonna just sit there like a peaceful little angel."

Mark laughed and went back to looking out the window all before his golden eyes caught sight of Bryon and Cathy. "I'm gonna go see Bryon for a bit, you guys mind?" But he was already opening up the car door to leave; it wouldn't have mattered if they protested against the idea or not.

Silence filled up the car after his departure, but it didn't last for long. "Where did he say he was goin'?" Liz asked in confusion.

Evelyn rolled her eyes and Ponyboy simply tried to tune her out. He felt awkward sitting in the backseat of a car with an incredibly drunk girl beside him; it hadn't helped that she'd been making passes at him almost the entire time. "Maybe we should get her home." Pony suggested quietly.

"I'm right here, ya know?" Liz asked angrily. "I don't want to go home." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you going to neck with me or what, Curtis?" she finally asked, her desperation finally getting the best of her.

Ponyboy's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as his cheeks got hot. He hated confrontation with the opposite sex; he sounded so soft saying no, so weak. "Um," he looked up towards Evelyn who was slowly shaking her head. "I'm gonna get some Coke and some popcorn, you guys want any?" he asked sheepishly.

"Yeah. I'll come with you." Evelyn mumbled, looking back at Liz sharply. "You stay here, okay?"

Liz scoffed drunkenly. "Why would I want to do that?"

Evelyn's blood was boiling by this point. "Because when we get back, Pony will give you a nice big kiss, alright?" She looked across at Ponyboy only to see he was looking real frazzled. _I don't want to kiss her_! "Right Pone?"

Ponyboy awkwardly cleared his throat. "Uh—"

"Hear that?" Evelyn asked with a fake smile. "He can't wait." She got out of the car and quickly shut the door, grabbing Ponyboy's arm carefully to drag him away. "Be right back, Liz." She called over her shoulder. Once they were far enough away, she released her grip on his arm and turned her attention to the large line up for the concession.

His murky orbs were narrowed into her in shock. "I don't wanna neck with your friend, Evie." He muttered awkwardly, his cheeks redder than ever. "No offence or anythin'."

"Why would I be offended? You never said you didn't want to kiss me, did ya?" she joked. He watched as a small smile formed along her lips. "Besides, you won't have to. She'll be passed out cold by the time we get back."

They shuffled only an inch closer to the drinks and food. "What if she's not?" he asked in concern.

Evelyn slowly turned her head to look up at him before shrugging her shoulders. "Then, I guess you'd have to kiss her then, wouldn't ya?" Pony was intimidated by her eyes, and he didn't know why. He always made eye-contact with people when he spoke, but he'd found it increasingly hard to do that with this girl. Her eyes cut him like a knife, saw clear into him. She had Darry's stare - that was for sure, only hers was softer.

He dropped his gaze down to the ground. "I'm real sorry about all this, by the way," he began, "I didn't know Mark would show up and we'd end up _here_ of all places."

All she did was shrug and grab two popcorns; one for her and one for Ponyboy. "It doesn't matter. I can handle movies, remember?" She laughed quietly and Ponyboy finally looked up from the ground. "Just the books the get me a little rattled." Her smile grew a little tighter as she finally broke their stare. "You going to grab us some Cokes?"

Pony did as he was told and moved to pay for the drinks, but Evelyn had beat him to it. "You didn't have to buy 'em," Pony grumbled, "I had the money."

"I don't doubt it," she said, smiling at the cashier as he handed her back the change, "you can grab the next one, deal?"

He hated how his stomach churned in anticipation at the idea of going to the movies with her again. "Sure." He finally said, masking his anxiousness with a cool façade. "You think she's sleepin' yet?"

Evelyn laughed quietly as they left the food gathering. "If she's not, you'd better pucker up."

Ponyboy chuckled quietly but silently prayed for the drunken girl to be asleep. He _really_ didn't want to neck with a girl like that, especially with Evelyn in the front seat. He liked being around Evelyn, he didn't need to make things awkward by making her the third wheel. As they drew closer to the silver Mustang, Pony nearly cried out in relief upon seeing Liz sprawled out in the backseat. "She asleep?" he asked hesitantly, looking into the backseat curiously.

"Oh yeah," Evelyn whispered with a small smile. "You wanna sit up front with me? She's a little thing but it seems she's taken up most of the backseat."

He looked at Evelyn from the corner of his eye and slowly nodded his head. Wordlessly, they both got into the car and quietly shut the heavy doors. Liz didn't even stir. Pony craned his neck around to look at Liz before shaking his head. "She's really done, huh?"

"Seems it," Evelyn muttered, passing a popcorn over to Ponyboy. "She's goin' to have a fun time tomorrow mornin', that's for sure."

With a small smile, Pony popped a handful of popcorn in his mouth and chewed as Romeo and Juliet played on before them. He had read the play only once before but even as he saw the words come to life on the silver screen, he had very little interest in it.

"Have you read this?" A quiet voice from his left had asked.

Slowly, he tore his eyes away from the screen to peer at Evelyn as she munched on her popcorn. A strand of her light hair blew with the breeze that seeped in through her open window; golly, was this girl a looker.

"Yeah," he muttered. It was almost instinctual to ask if she had too, but he caught himself almost immediately.

Within seconds, her grey eyes were now on him and all at once his nerves were back. "I tried once," she said, furling her brows as she thought back to the confusing play. "Reading it, I mean. And I know I'm not the best reader to begin with, but Old English was one wacky language."

He wasn't sure why that had made him laugh but he found himself grinning across at the girl beside him. "Sure was." He chuckled. He wanted to ask her more questions about her dyslexia – hell, he wanted to talk to her about _anything,_ but with the threat of Liv waking up, he kept his mouth shut.

He suddenly wished it was just them in the car; that Liv and Mark hadn't interrupted them and that they had somehow made their own way to the drive-in. Maybe then he'd have more courage to speak up and talk to the girl with the light hair and grey stare. Or maybe they'd still be at the diner where she would talk freely about her dyslexia and he could help with it anyway he knew how.

But that was a lot of maybes and as he sat with Evie in her car, he decided that –for now – this was enough.

* * *

The sound of a loud engine crept into the Curtis household as Darry looked through the newspaper. He paid no mind to it at first, but slowly his curiosity got the better of him when the engine didn't cut. With his eyebrows furrowed, he pushed himself off of the chair he'd been sitting on and walked over to the window. An expensive looking silver Mustang lingered right on the curb in front of the porch, but it wasn't the car that caught Darry's eye. There, in the passenger's seat of the car was none other than Ponyboy. His head was bowed down at his lap, but his lips were moving – he was definitely talking to whoever was driving the car. "Well, what do we have here?" Darry muttered beneath his breath, a small smirk tangling across his lips upon seeing that it was a girl driving the Mustang.

He watched as Ponyboy nodded his head, flashing her a small smile before finally climbing out of the car. "I'll see ya on Monday," he called over his shoulder, stuffing his hands inside his coat pockets. "Have a good night."

The girl simply waved him off wordlessly before pulling back onto the road, driving away from their house completely. Within seconds, Pony came through the door. "Hey Pone," Darry said, taking a seat on the couch beneath the window. "Where ya been?"

Pony's hazel eyes looked into Darry's before sending him a casual shrug. "Had track practice," he began, his eyes dancing around the room, "then I had to tutor that girl from my English class."

Darry nodded. "For six hours?"

Pony's cheeks flushed as he looked up at the time; he hadn't even realized how late it was. Darry had laid off of him a lot over the last year, admitting that he'd seen a tougher side of Pony come out. Pony wasn't so naïve and that made Darry a bit more lenient, more relaxed. He didn't panic if he came home a little late; he knew Pony was getting older. Then again, he could put his foot down just as fast if he thought there was anything shady happening in Ponyboy's life. He'd, so far, found a happy medium in being the guardian of his younger brothers.

"Well, a few of us went to a double feature afterwards." He mumbled. "No big deal."

Darry slowly nodded his head once again. "Sure," he appeased. "No big deal."

Pony shrugged off his jacket and threw it over one of the chairs. "Soda go with Steve down to Buck's or somethin'?"

"Yeah," he replied, opening his paper back up. "How was tutorin'?"

Pony looked at Darry and took a seat on the chair opposite him. "Good." He thought back to their conversation back at the burger joint and immediately felt anxious to get as much information about dyslexia that he could get his hands on. "Hey Darry, how did mom and dad teach us to read?"

Darrell slowly looked up from his paper and peered across at Ponyboy. "What?"

"How did mom and dad teach us how to read properly?" he repeated. "Is there an easy way to do it, or somethin'?"

"I was a kid, Ponyboy," Darry told him in confusion, "I don't remember being taught how to read. Ain't that half the reason they send kids off to school? To learn how to read?"

He felt annoyed all of the sudden. It wasn't Darry's fault – he didn't know why he was asking – but he still felt irritated. "So you don't remember bein' taught?"

"Do you?" Darry retorted, flipping down the corner of the paper to get a better look at his kid brother.

Pony fell silent and ran a hand through the brown shaggy mop of hair on top of his head. He'd be an awful tutor if he didn't think of an easier way to get Evelyn through the semester and he'd feel even worse if she failed because he couldn't get a handle on things. "I think I'm gonna go to bed." Pony finally grumbled, his brows furrowed in concentration. He stood up to his full height and rubbed his bare arms as the coolness of the house slowly hit him. "Night, Dare."

"Night, Pone." Darry said, watching as Pony slowly disappeared into his and Soda's bedroom. Concern and anxiousness instantly swept him up as he thought of Ponyboy never being able to dig himself out of this rut. It had been two long and very hard years since Johnny and Dallas' deaths, and though it was hard on all of them, he'd practically watched Ponyboy cave into an empty shell. He ran, he read, he ate, he fought, he watched a couple of movies, he smoked and he slept – and he'd repeat it all the very next day. Sure, he had new friends and Darry was sure he'd seen a spark of his former brother every once in a while shine behind those eyes of his, but he just wanted to see Ponyboy again. The real Ponyboy.

**A/N Sorry it wasn't out on time! But here it is, I hope you all like it! x**


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